(Contract Item)
The estimator is reminded of the Regional policy, per FSM 7720 supplements, that engineers/surveyors involved in P-line surveys and design of Forest development roads or those under permit be licensed to practice in the State where the project is located. Also, on timber sales with purchaser survey and/or design requirements, the estimator should check C provisions for survey dates, type, etc.
Road Location: The most recent costs for road location range from $1,200-$2,400/mile.
Preliminary Survey: Costs for negotiated A/E contracts range from $850/mile for surveys of low-standard new roads (raw land) in open, easily accessible terrain, to $3500/mile for surveys of existing roads proposed for high-standard reconstruction. P-Line costs are generally dependent on survey standards, project access (drive, walk, camp, etc), terrain, vegetation density and time schedule.
Establishment of spike camps can add costs to a project, long walks or difficult vehicle access can also increase the survey costs.
Recently, the average cost of all P-Line A/E surveys (new and reconstruction) is about
$2,500-$4,000/mile. Detailed surveys of existing roads generally run higher than new construction due to the presence of cut/fill slopes, culverts, and other features. If data entry of survey notes and plotting of profile, traverse, and X-sections are desired, add $500/mile. Reestablishment of old P-Line can be estimated to cost about $400/mile.
Most contracts had some Medium Accuracy Standard survey, but were predominately Low Accuracy Standard survey. (Refer to FSH 7709.56, pg 3.9--2 for standards.)
Survey costs for A/E negotiated survey and design contracts should be estimated using the above costs for P-Line surveys as a base. Additional fieldwork may include items such as material and clearing classification, special site investigation, and stream flow estimates. The engineering firm will normally have a higher overhead cost because a business engaged in survey and design work usually has more office equipment, computers, etc. than a firm specializing in only survey work.
Information received from A/E contractors indicates the following average rates charged for fieldwork under negotiated contracts:
Wages and Per Diem
Fieldwork Per Hour Per day
Two-person field party $125 $1000
Three-person field party $165 $1320
Registered Land Surveyor $90 $720
Per diem Use current federal per diem rate
Transportation $.50/mile
Motel, camp expenses Use current federal CONUS rates
The following production rates should be used as a guide in estimating fieldwork:
Division 150 Project Requirements
USDA Forest Service Northern Region - 26 - Cost Estimating Guide for Road Construction February 2011 Brushing: Three-person crew. The production for brushing is dependent upon density of stems and will vary with the requirements of the contract:
Density of stems Miles per day
Traverse: three-person crew. The production for traverse is dependent upon the precision of survey and number of points of intersection (PI's) per mile. This cost estimate is broken down according to the precision desired. It is, therefore, mandatory for the estimator to know the precision required before making the estimate. The chaining difficulty is constant with the number of PI's per mile on which this cost guide will be based. For average conditions consider a production rate of a half mile per day of completed work.
Survey Accuracy Standard (Refer to FSH 7709.56 Section 3.9) PI's per mile High
Levels: two-person crew. The production for levels is mainly dependent upon the precision of survey.
Therefore, this cost guide is based on average production figures for a given precision. The estimator should use his/her own judgment and adjust these figures if they do not fit the individual project.
Accuracy Standard Miles per day
High (A,B) 0.5
Medium (C,D) 0.7
Low (E, Other) 1.0
Cross Sections: Three-person crew. Cross sections are generally constant in production between 0.4 mile to 0.7 mile per day. The brushing for extra heavy and heavy brush are figured in the brushing estimate. Therefore, this item will consider the slope only. If the estimator has unusual circumstances, he/she should adjust the production figures accordingly.
Slope Miles per day
50 percent + 0.4
30 to 50 percent 0.6
0 to 30 percent 0.7
Supervision: Allow 1 day per week of survey crew time for supervisory engineer @ $650 per day.
Division 150 Project Requirements
USDA Forest Service Northern Region - 27 - Cost Estimating Guide for Road Construction February 2011 Move-in/Move-out: Allow for move-in/move-out costs, supplies, transportation, etc.
Office Work: Checking Notes-office work. All notes need to be office checked for completeness.
Traverse and level notes need office work in recording and computation for angles and elevation.
There is no per diem allowance for this work. Allow 1 to 2 hours per mile for one person at a rate of
$108 per hour.
Materials Investigation and Testing: See Section 153 or 154 for unit costs.
Road Design: (Includes classification, plan & profile, cross sections, and plan-in-hand reviews) Ranges from $2,500 to 4,000 per mile for new construction.
Corner Search, Monumenting, and Boundary Marking & Posting: Corner search costs are highly variable, depending on terrain, access, and difficulty of finding evidence. Monumentation costs can be estimated at $150 to $175 per corner. Marking and posting boundary lines can be estimated at $5,000 to
$7,500 per mile. Additional allowance should be made for areas in rugged terrain, poor access, and heavy ground cover.
Other Preliminary Surveys: Surveys with the total station equipment such as bridge sites or
campgrounds, estimate using a two or three person survey crew. In addition, allow for travel expenses (mileage, camp, motel, etc) and the downloading and plotting of survey data at the office.
Construction Staking and Survey Staking:
Average base cost ($/mile) Transet L-line: $1,600 Offset L-line-high order: $1,400 Offset L-line-low order: $1,300 Finish grade: $2,000
Add $100.00 per culvert for culvert staking on reconstruction roads. Average base prices should be multiplied by the following factors to determine cost estimate. (Average project -- assume camp is within five miles of project and access is at the beginning of each job and each job is two miles in length.)
Approximate Relationships of Precision Options
Multiply by High
Division 150 Project Requirements
USDA Forest Service Northern Region - 28 - Cost Estimating Guide for Road Construction February 2011 Additional factors to consider:
Method I Computed – multiply by 1.5 Method II Slope staking one side - 1.0